NEWLY DISCOVERED LUNAR CAVE MAY SERVE AS A BASE CAMP ON THE MOON

Despite its beauty, the Moon's surface is not particularly friendly to people. At the equator, daytime temperatures range from 250°F (121°C) to nighttime lows of -208°F (-133°C). It seems improbable that astronauts will ever spend a significant amount of time on the Moon's surface given the presence of micrometeorites and high radiation levels. However, a recent study that was published in Nature claims that the first known lunar cave has been located and that it may one day serve as an astronaut's base camp during extended space missions.

For at least half a century, scientists have been speculating about lunar caves. NASA launched the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) in 2009 intending to create a three-dimensional map of the Moon. In 2010 it discovered evidence of extremely deep pits, one of which was on the Sea of Tranquility, not far from the site of Apollo 11's 1969 landing.

Using new signal processing techniques, the radar imaging of this 300-foot-wide pit has now been reanalysed. Consequently, researchers Lorenzo Bruzzone and Leonardo Carrer of the University of Trento concluded that the pit is, in fact, an entrance to a 130-foot-wide and 14-tennis-court-long cave. The cave's structure seems promising, but accessing and leaving it could be challenging. On the west side, it descends to 410 feet below the surface in almost a vertical slope. At 443 feet, it is even deeper on the east side. 

"Getting into that pit requires descending 125 meters before you reach the floor, and the rim is a steep slope of loose debris where any movement will send little avalanches down on to anyone below," Robert Wagner, a researcher at Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration, told The Guardian. Getting in and out is definitely feasible, but it will require a substantial amount of infrastructure.

With the LRO having already identified over 200 lunar pits, scientists are hoping that this is just the first of many caves to be found. It is believed that the verified lunar cave and other pits were created by lava tubes that were created by volcanic activity that happened billions of years ago. Caves may be a source of water and ice, in addition to being essential for long-term shelter for future expeditions. "After all, caves are where life on Earth first evolved, so it makes sense that humans could live inside them on the Moon," writes study author Carrer.

Having access to lunar caves would also have far-reaching implications for research. Billions of years of information will be available from the geological record found inside the caves. Researchers could use this information to better understand the formation of the Moon and volcanoes.